{"id":11256,"date":"2021-09-15t15:08:27","date_gmt":"2021-09-15t15:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/environmental-engineering-duo-explore-natural-solution-to-flooding-south-of-chicago\/"},"modified":"2021-09-15t15:08:27","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15t15:08:27","slug":"environmental-engineering-duo-explore-natural-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/environmental-engineering-duo-explore-natural-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"environmental engineering duo explore natural solution to flooding south of chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>colleen o\u2019brien and jen jenkins battle through unruly, waist-high foliage, dodging the thorny plants that grab at their clothes.&nbsp;in the sweltering july heat, their work space is a far cry from the air-conditioned office buildings they used to frequent.&nbsp;they forge ahead, drawn to sundrop prairie by a desire to integrate a community component into a technical industry.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201ci think what i didn\u2019t have in my last role was being able to engage with people,\u201d jenkins said, reflecting on her transition from an environmental consulting firm.&nbsp;o\u2019brien, also a former consultant, echoed this sentiment.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201ci loved that there was a community partner aspect to the work,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>jenkins now works as a natural infrastructure project manager at the nature conservancy, and o\u2019brien is a ph.d. candidate in the department of civil and environmental engineering at northwestern university.&nbsp;they are partnering together to study the hydrology of the indian boundary prairies, a cluster of five grassland regions that form a rare natural oasis just south of chicago.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-center\">\n<figure class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a woman in an orange cap sits at a picnic table on a porch while using a laptop computer.\" height=\"533\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1-resized.png\" \/><figcaption>colleen o\u2019brien catches up on some computer work outside the indian boundary prairies\u2019 field house. \u201cshe\u2019s been really great in terms of trying to develop connections with the communities,\u201d said professor aaron packman, o\u2019brien\u2019s ph.d. advisor. (sarah anderson\/medill).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>the nature conservancy\u2019s work focuses on maintaining the prairies as a natural habitat for biodiverse species, with big bluestem, little bluestem and indian grass attracting monarch butterflies and various migratory birds.&nbsp;but the prairie edges\u2014where tar and asphalt were dumped during the construction of the road that continues to leach metal and salt into the soil\u2014may be beyond restoration.&nbsp;jenkins and o\u2019brien are exploring if the prairie boundary could be dedicated as a space for stormwater collection to help mitigate flooding in the region.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>to evaluate sundrop prairie\u2019s water storage capacity, the pair collect data from wells installed throughout the prairie.&nbsp;a sensor in the well reads the underground water level, which indicates how much water is absorbed by the prairie that would otherwise be displaced.&nbsp;\u201cit basically tells us, \u2018if the prairie wasn\u2019t here, how much water would be in someone\u2019s backyard or on the street?\u201d o\u2019brien said.<\/p>\n<p>this data also gives them an idea of how much more water the prairie might be able to take on.&nbsp;\u201cwhat we need to do is get the prairie to work even harder than it already is,\u201d jenkins said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-center\">\n<figure class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"two women stand outside with tech equipment. one in a gray cap holds a laptop computer while the other, in an orange cap, leans forward to look closely at the screen.\" height=\"533\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/3-resized.png\" \/><figcaption>colleen o\u2019brien and jen jenkins interpret data collected by a well sensor in sundrop prairie. \u201ci think the real benefit of our collaboration is that we\u2019re co-learning together,\u201d jenkins said (sarah anderson\/medill).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>o\u2019brien and jenkins also analyze the water\u2019s conductivity, which serves as a measure of how much salt and metal is in the water from contact with surrounding roads and industry.&nbsp;the conductivity trends allow them to see how far into the prairie interior this \u201curban runoff\u201d effect persists, which can help to identify areas of the prairie that are connected by water flow paths.<\/p>\n<p>understanding how the waterways intersect is critical in determining if diverting stormwater to the periphery could distress the prairie as a whole.&nbsp;\u201cif we are going to think about ways to encourage more or less stormwater onto the site, we have to think about any unintentional negative impacts on the rest of the prairie,\u201d jenkins said.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>the team also takes this holistic approach when considering how to maximize the benefit of the prairies for the local community. \u201cwe\u2019re not just looking at the prairies in isolation\u2014it\u2019s all in the context of what\u2019s happening around us,\u201d jenkins said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>to learn about the needs of their neighbors, o\u2019brien and jenkins are developing a survey for south suburban residents on their experiences and perceptions related to flooding.&nbsp;in addition to informing their work, the responses help them to gauge people\u2019s understanding of stormwater management and ensure that their communication with the public is accessible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>jenkins and o\u2019brien hope that through a combination of innovative environmental engineering and dialogue with the community, they can help to combat the flooding that disproportionately impacts the area south of chicago.&nbsp;\u201cthis problem, it\u2019s not just a nuisance, it\u2019s a public health problem,\u201d jenkins said. \u201cwhen you understand that these residents are affected by flooding on a regular basis, you can\u2019t help but be moved to try to figure out a solution.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>colleen o\u2019brien and jen jenkins&nbsp;are exploring whether a cluster of five grassland regions that form a rare natural oasis just south of chicago could be dedicated as a space for stormwater collection to help mitigate flooding in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10091,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4929],"tags":[506,384,957,2463,37],"storyfest_categories":[],"class_list":["post-11256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biodiversity","tag-biodiversity","tag-data","tag-infrastructure","tag-natural-disasters","tag-water"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- this site is optimized with the yoast seo plugin v23.9 - 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